01 12 / 2009

Social Influences

“Understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” ~EDWARD L. BERNAYS (1891-1995)

Since I run a social community site and always making sales or partnership pitches, I’m very interested in always learning more on how to influence or persuade individuals and the masses.

Themes that I found most useful:

Branding. Whether for individual or a company; it’s important.  Here are the dimensions to have a strong personal branding or branding for a company:

  1. Positive Interactions
  2. Consistency
  3. Credibility
  4. Authenticity
  5. Trust
  6. Loyalty

If you have a strong brand, people will be influenced by you.

Touch Points.  If you can increase the number of positive interactions (touch points) where the person/group who you are trying to influence, is a good things.

Hubs of Influence.  People are influenced by 2 main hubs:

  1. Social Hub.  These are people they ‘know’ and come in contact with that probably knows their likes and dislikes or have common tastes and preferences.  Your friends and family.  More likely to trust people in your social hub than complete strangers.
  2. Expert Hub.  As seen on TV.  9 out of 10 doctors agree.  FDA approved.  Celebrity endorsements.  These are seen as trusted, authoritative or have credibility.

6 Channels of Persuasions

Knowing the ways than you can create a method.  How it applies to individual instincts and how it applies to group/crowd needs.  Check out a book called ‘The Art of Woo’ by Richard Shell and Mario Moussa for more details.

  1. Interest Based
  2. Authority
  3. Politics
  4. Rationality & Reason
  5. Vision; Inspiration & Values
  6. Relationships

P.O.I.N.T. Technique

Industrial design firm, IDEO uses a great technique for coming up with great creative ideas.  It’s also great method to form logical arguments for use of influence or persuasion.  First you look at Problems and Needs of individual or group.  Then hearing different Insights and looking at possible Opportunities and then looking for patterns and grouping them into common Themes.  Using your themes to sell/influence/persuade your ideas.

Whether it’s marketing a brand online, or marketing yourself and selling your ideas to people; I think these frameworks work.

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